Mini Farming by Brett L. Markham Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

Start a mini farm on a quarter acre or less, provide 85 percent of the food for a family of four and earn an income.

Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-sufﬁciency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

Brett L. Markham is an engineer, third-generation farmer, andpolymath. Using the methods explained in his book, he runs a profitable, Certied Naturally Grown mini farm on less than half anacre. Brett works full time as an engineer for a broadband ISP andfarms in his spare time. He lives in New Ipswich, New Hampshire.

Unrated Critic Reviews for Mini Farming

Publishers Weekly

Gardeners who are familiar with intensive gardening methods wonât find a great deal, but newbies will love the commonsense systematic way Markham, an engineer and hobby farmer, explains what goes into successful cultivation: the chemistry and methods of soil preparation before a seed is put in ...

The Spectator

Zooming in even smaller, to focus on one garden, Roy Strong’s account of the changes at his own place, Remaking a Garden: The Laskett Transformed (Frances Lincoln, £30, Spectator Bookshop, £25) leaves one with a bit more to think about.